Description

In 2013, HLF awarded a special grant to the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) to enhance the capacity of the Society of STEM Women of Color (SSWOC). At that time, SSWOC was a nascent organization seeking to establish itself as a national authority on practices and research related to advancing women of color in academic STEM careers, while also providing professional development and networking opportunities. Since then, SSWOC has become an independent 501(c)(3) and one of the nation’s largest networks of Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) women STEM faculty.
 
Women continue to be grossly underrepresented in many STEM disciplines in higher education, in STEM leadership roles, and in the U.S. workforce. Recent research indicates that if current trends continue, gender parity in Computer Science, for example, will not be reached in this century. Research also indicates that although diverse perspectives and thought have been demonstrated to accelerate innovation, novel scientific contributions by gender and racial minorities are less likely to be taken up in academia and are more likely to be discounted and devalued.  
 
SSWOC is now well-positioned not only to disseminate best practices and research on advancing women of color in STEM, but also to elevate BIPOC women’s stories, perspectives, and voices. SSWOC is led by co-founders Dr. Kelly Mack, Vice President for Undergraduate STEM Education and Executive Director of Project Kaleidoscope at AAC&U, and Dr. Claudia Rankins, former National Science Foundation Program Director and former Dean, Hampton University School of Science.
 
HLF staff invited SSWOC to submit a proposal for a webinar and podcast series that would share evidence-based best practices, promising emerging practices, strengths-based approaches, and innovative ideas to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM; elevate BIPOC women in STEM’s voices, experiences, and contributions, furthering the shifting of narratives and perceptions about diverse women’s participation in STEM; and provide virtual networking opportunities. Other proposed activities are Twitter Chats, a blog series, and website development. Project advisors include Dr. Orlando Taylor, Distinguished Senior Advisor to the President of Fielding Graduate University and founding director of Fielding’s Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership, and Education; and Dr. Mae Jemison, Jemison Group founder, engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut – the first Black woman to travel into space.